Rail-joint lock.



H. L. MASON.

RAIL JOINT LOOK. APPLICATION FILED NOV.16, 190a.

954,120, Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

HOWARD L. MASON, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR-TO MASON SAFETY RAIL JOINT LOCK COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

RAIL-JOINT LOOK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD L. MASON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joint Locks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in rail-j oint locks, and my object is to provide a simple device of this character which will hold the ends of rails together more reliably and rigidly than the ordinary fish-plates now in use.

A further object is to provide a lock which will remain in position and hold the ends of the rails together without the use of bolts or other extraneous fastening devices.

Another object is to provide a lock which can be quickly applied to or removed from the rails.

Other objects of the invention will hereinafter appear, and in order that said invention may be fully understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the invention in an operative position. Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of the combined bed-plate and angle-bar. Fig. 3 is an end view of the lock in an operative position. Fig. 4 is a cross section on line IVIV of Fig. 1.

1 designates the combined bed-plate and angle-bar, which comprises a bed-plate portion 2 adapted to fit beneath the bases of two abutting rails A, an angle-bar portion 3 formed integral with one side of the bedplate and adapted to engage the adjacent sides of the rails, a pair of rectangular knees 4 extending laterally from the junction of the bed-plate and the angle-bar and provided with notches 5 for the reception of spikes, ribs 6 for reinforcing the anglebar portion and the knees, and a marginal up and inturned longitudinal member 7, formed integral with the opposite side of the bed-plate and provided with notches 8.

9 designates an angle-bar adapted to fit Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 16, 1908.

Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

Serial No. 462,861.

against the opposite sides of the rails and provided with a fiat portion 10, which fits upon the bed-plate 2. It also has marginal notches 11, adapted to register with notches 8, as shown in Fig. 1, when the lock is in its operative position.

In practice the lock is applied to the rails by slipping the bed-plate 2 beneath the same until the angle-bar portion 3 fits snugly against the adjacent sides of the rails. The angle-bar 9 is then driven longitudinally between the opposite sides of the rails and the longitudinal member 7, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. When in this position it is impossible for the angle-bar 9 to move laterally on account of abutting against the underside of the rail-heads and the underside of the inturned portion of member 7, and it is secured against longitudinal movement by spikes 12, which are driven through the registering notches 8 and 11. Spikes 12 engage the lower portion of the angle-bar 9, and in conjunction with spikes 13, which are driven through notches 5 in the knees, reliably secure the two members of the lock from longitudinal movement. The rails are secured from creeping longitudinally, until their joint B moves dangerously near one end of the look, by transverse bolts 141 and retaining-nuts 15, openings 16 being left in the angle-bars for the reception of said bolts.

Bed-plate 2 is wider than the base of the rails so that it may be readily removed from beneath the latter when desired, by shifting the combined bed-plate and angle-bar laterally until the angle-bar portion 3 clears the rail, when it may be readily removed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

A rail-joint lock comprising a combined bed-plate and angle-bar adapted to fit against two rails on one side and extending beneath and beyond the bases thereof on the other side and terminating in an up and inturned longitudinal member having marginal notches, said combined bed-plate and angle-bar having a pair of rectangular knees at its opposite side provided with driven through the notches for the purpose marginal notches and reinforced byribs; set forth and described.

an angle-bar member adapted to engage the In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, rails at the opposite side and fit into the in the presence of two witnesses.

up and inturned marginal member and pro- HOVARD L. MASON.

vided with marginal notches adapted to \Vitnesses: register with the notches in the lastmen- F. G. FISCHER, tioned member, and spikes adapted to be, M. Cox. 

